Gunman Shoots 2 Children Who Were Trick-or-Treating in Philly

Makiya Williams has a message for the two gunmen who sent her and her younger brother to the hospital on Halloween.

“Do better man,” Williams said. “It was in broad daylight.”

Williams and her 5-year-old brother Mael Howel were trick-or-treating in the Olney section of Philadelphia Wednesday around 6:15 p.m. As they were walking on the 5700 block of Hope Street and Grange Avenue near the One & Olney Shopping Center, two gunmen fired at least six shots at each other.

The brother and sister were caught in the crossfire. Howel was shot once in the left leg while Williams was grazed in the right leg.

A bullet also went through the bedroom window of an occupied home, though no one inside was hurt. Another bullet struck a nearby car.

Williams and Howel were taken to the hospital by a responding police officer. Williams was later released while Howel was transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital where he is in stable condition.

“I was just focused on getting him to safety to make sure he was alright,” Williams said.

Doctors are trying to determine whether Howel will need surgery to remove the bullet fragment from his leg.

“Gun violence is ridiculous,” Dominique Wise, the mother of the two victims, said. “It makes no sense to send your children out to go trick-or-treating and then you get a phone call that not one but two of your children were shot.”

SkyForce10 was over the scene of the shooting and spotted candy spilled out on the sidewalk near evidence markers.

“I’m highly embarrassed for the neighborhood and it’s just ridiculous as a mother,” Wise said.

No arrests have been made and a weapon has not been recovered.

Police did not release detailed descriptions of the two gunmen but say one was wearing a red and white mask and they both had on dark clothes. Both gunmen were seen running north on Hope Street after the shooting.

If you have any information on the incident, please call Philadelphia Police.